In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,546, there is disclosed an intraocular lens for being inserted into the posterior chamber of the eye. The use of intraocular lenses, for implantation in both the anterior or posterior chamber, has more recently become widely and successfully used following cataract surgery. In such surgery, it is most desirable to create a minimal corneal incision in order to reduce trauma to the cornea. Although recent developments in surgical apparatus have allowed for removal of the cataract through an incision as small as about 2.5 mm, where an intraocular lens is to be inserted, larger incisions are required. Although some intraocular lenses have been proposed having an optic lens body as small as about 4 mm, lens body diameters of between about 5 and about 7 mm are usually preferred. However, for insertion of such a lens, the incision must be large enough to allow insertion of the lens therethrough.
In an attempt to reduce the size of the corneal incision, in my aforesaid application there is disclosed a segmented lens, allowing for smaller individual lens segments to be inserted through a relatively small incision, after which the lens segments are to be assembled in the eye to form the lens body. A similar lens is shown in U.S. patent No. 4,451,938. Although the use of such a lens appears to be beneficial, in practice it is found to present substantial difficulties in attempting to assemble the segments in the eye, particularly the posterior chamber. It is a purpose of the invention to provide a lens which obviates the aforesaid assembly difficulties.